It's long-standing wisdom that you shouldn't eat too close to bed time, or eat the right kinds of foods. One sleep specialist suggests it's really about how and when you eat breakfast that matters most to your sleep cycle.
Photo by little blue hen.
Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan, author of Tired But Wired, tells the UK newspaper The Independent that eating breakfast first thing in the morning calms and reassures the part of your brain that still thinks you're a cave person, living day to day on slow-running game and avoiding predators:
There are these fallacies swirling around that not eating before bed, or not eating lettuce or tuna, can help you sleep," says Ramlakhan. "But it's more crucial that you eat breakfast first thing in the morning, in what I call a 'metabolic window'. It's a timeframe in which you can give your body an important message. It tells it that in your world there is an adequate supply of food, it can relax, and that it can fall into sleep mode when it needs to.
Intriguing theory, and Ramlakhan's other, more standard advice about sleep tends to frame itself around that same idea—convincing your body and mind that you're safe, calm, and able to rest.
Don't sleep longer – sleep smarter [The Independent]